Half Life Episode 3  The Hunt For The Borealis
by The Drunk Fisherman
Summary: The Combine are moving forward... armed with Eli Vance's knowledge of the Resistance. The only hope of averting another 7 hour war is the advanced technology aboard the Borealis. Will Gordon and Alyx be able to find and aquire Aperature science's secret?


" Prepare For Unforeseen Consequences "

Subject: Gordon Freeman

Status: Hired

Location: White Forest Installation

Time: 6:23 PM

Gordon stood outside staring through the window of the data room.

Alyx sat on the ratty couch in the data room that merely hours ago she and her father had shared a cup of tea while Dr. Kleiner decoded Dr. Mossman's transmission.

Now her face was hidden by her hands as she mourned the loss of her father.

Gordon turned away from the window, Eli Vance was one of the top scientist at Black Mesa, and for the resistance. Gordon not only respected him as a scientist but as a man. He respected everyone from the bottom up and held his moral values above anything else, except maybe his family.

And now with his death he had left behind the only family he had …his daughter Alyx Vance.

"You should be in there Gordon" Dr. Kleiner walked in through though the opposite room.

"She needs some time alone Doc" Gordon replied to an unkempt Isaac Kleiner.

Dr. Kleiner straightened his glasses and tried to smooth over the hair he had left, "no she needs someone to talk to, and that insufferable Magnusson needs me to help with the data collected by his rocket before it closed the combine portal".

"Your right" Gordon turned and headed for the door.

"Isaac!, where are you" Magnusson's voice blasted through the intercom.

"Coming Magnusson" Dr. Kleiner shuffled off into the elevator.

Gordon opened the door to the data room and shut it before walking to the couch and taking a seat beside her.

"Oh Gordon I cant believe it" , She lifted her head to reveal her beautiful face red from crying.

She buried her face in her hands again and started sobbing.

Gordon put his arm around her and sat silently as she was racked with sobs.

"Its just…why…just why now, we had closed the portal, pushed back their assault" She turned to face him.

"Alyx, I cant tell you that, I'm sorry" Gordon stared into her eyes.

Alyx looked away and sat silently.

"If you want to be alone I understand" Gordon went to stand up but she placed her hand on his knee. "No please just sit with me Gordon, having you around makes me feel better" Alyx managed a small smile.

"That's strange cause usually whenever we're in talking distance all hell breaks loose" Gordon returned her smile.

"See what I mean" Alyx leaned against him

Gordon wrapped his arm around her once again and leaned back into the couch staring ahead. His mind whirling about all that happened to him in the last few years. And looking down at the gorgeous woman leaning against him, he felt no need to move, to work, to do anything. All he wanted to do was help her, she deserved that much.

They sat there for minutes, which turned to hours and They both dozed off.

Gordon awoke even more weary and sore than he was when he fell asleep.

His left arm was numb and when he looked Alyx was fast asleep her head against his shoulder.

Careful not to wake her he moved his arm to check his battered wristwatch. The watch had been to hell and back but still kept good time.

"Ten Thirty Five" He gently lifted her off the couch and opened the door.

Alyx opened her eyes looking up to Gordon "where are we going" she said sleepily as he carried her across the hallway.

"Its ten thirty I'm taking you to your room"

Alyx closed her eyes "my hero"

Gordon press the button with his elbow opening the door. Careful not to bump Alyx into the side of the doorway he walked to her bed and gently placed her on it.

Turning to walk away her examined the room before leaving, drab and conventional only a few pictures of her and her father were hung on the walls, and a duffel bag that he could only assume held her all of worldly possessions sat in the corner.

"Gordon" Alyx mumbled from her bed

He stopped in the doorway and turned his head "what?"

"someone told me to tell you prepare for unforeseen consequences"

"Goodnight Alyx" Gordon shut the light off and closed the door.

Walking down the hallway he stopped, his breath quickened and a tingling in the back of his neck he knew all so well. Turning to face a dark data room he flipped on the light.

Standing in his traditional suit with a self contemptuous smirk was the man who had twisted, saved, and took the lives of many.

"Hello Mr. Freeman, I do say you are looking worse for wear than usual"

"What do you want?" Gordon stood unsure of the situation.

"Nothing Mr. Freeman, just keeping tabs on all of my assets"

Gordon walked forward feeling a chill creep into his blood "Why did you tell her to say that"

"Please Mr. Freeman I just want what's best for the both of you"

"Go to hell" Gordon stood face to face with him.

Anger flashed across his face but he quickly regained his composure "Be careful Mr. Freeman remember who your talking to" The mysterious man adjusted his cuffs.

Gordon clenched his fist but stood his ground.

The man extended his hand "Please Mr. Freeman I only want you to stay healthy, many others want your services and not all of them need them with you alive".

Gordon stared at the pallid grey hand.

"Please Mr. Freeman I wont bite"

Gordon grabbed his hand and his blood ran cold as his muscles seized and sweat poured down his face.

"Mr. Freeman I suggest you get some sleep and…prepare for unforeseen consequences" The man chuckled and let go of Gordon's hand, picking up a briefcase he disappeared.

Gordon collapsed to the floor his head whirling, blacking out he saw the man walk to a coffin and knock on the top of it. Out of it came Eli Vance who turned to look at Gordon then walked off in the darkness with the mysterious man in the suit.

" Black Mesa North "

Subject: Gordon Freeman

Status: Hired

Location: White Forest Installation

Time: 8:30 PM

His head hammered and the taste of copper hung in his mouth. Opening his eyes he saw the smiling face of his old friend Barney Calhoun.

"That floor sure looks comfortable buddy" Barney helped him off the floor.

"Yeah well wasn't my first choice either" Gordon tried do dust off the front of his HEV suit in vain.

"Hey listen Gordon the suit…its getting a bit ripe, You can use my room, take a shower Ill have them send some clothes down, then go get a bite or eat or something".

Gordon looked at hit dirt and mud splattered HEV suit, and when he saw dark splotches of dried blood that sold it. "Thanks Barney, maybe later you can get that beer you owe me".

"Sure thing Gordon, Room Four Ten" Barney held the door open for him.

Gordon walked through the door and took a left down the hallway where the dorms were located. He passed a few resistance members and shook hands. Opening Barneys door his room was more sparse than Alyx and Eli's.

Pausing by a Black Mesa poster Gordon smiled, then started the somewhat rigorous task of removing his Mark V HEV suit. When he was finished he hung the suit on a wall hook.

Walking into the bathroom Gordon stopped to examine the tattered city seventeen clothes he had worn underneath the suit. Taking them off and throwing them in the trash can he stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water.

When he finished he got out and wrapped a towel around his waist and preceded to apply shaving cream to his weeks old stubble. It had seemed that stasis had elevated his hair growth, after all he was in it for twenty five years.

When he was done his trademark goatee was back to its Black Mesa standards. Opening the bathroom door he was greeted by Alyx holding a stack of clothes.

"Gordon I uh thought you were in the shower" Her eyes flickered up and down registering his appearance and the array of scars that he carried.

"Well I was" Gordon stood there as she kept staring. "what's wrong with you"

"Nothing I just have never seen you without the HEV suit on" She smiled and sat his clothes on the bed.

"Well what you see is what you get" Gordon smiled and picked up the clothes. He was in no way a big man, but years of HEV suit training and use had covered his body in lean muscle. At six foot two he bore more of a runners physique than a bodybuilders.

"Ill catch you later Gordon" Alyx turned and headed for the door.

"Hey Alyx"

She turned to face him "Yeah".

"Are you alright" Gordon looked at her concerned

She grinned "Getting better Gordon getting better" and with that she left closing the door behind her.

Gordon examined the clothes she had left him a pair of faded blue jeans a black mesa t-shirt and a clean white lab coat.

He chuckled, how long had it been since he wore a lab coat. He pulled on the clothes and glanced one last time at the HEV suit hanging on the wall, no matter how ridiculous it sounded he felt as if he left a little bit of him behind as he walked out into the hallway.

Catching the elevator door before it closed he was welcomed by the usual angry Dr. Magnusson and his Vortiguant companion. "Playing scientist mister Freeman"

"Yes as I remember I used to be quite good at it" Gordon stepped in and stood next to Uriah.

"Greetings to the Freeman" Uriah bowed.

"Well then I hope you still retain your previous level of excellence" Magnusson pressed the button for the hangar.

"Always doctor" Gordon chuckled and watched as real light filtered in as the elevator ascended from the mountain base.

The elevator door opened to reveal a bustling hangar, forklifts moved around loading supplies and resistance mechanics were making repairs to the Mi-8 helicopter still sitting slightly damaged from the Advisor attack a day before.

Gordon followed Magnusson to an area littered with computers and scientific equipment. Dr. Kleiner was examining a clipboard, Barney was busy teaching new resistance members how to clean a MP7 sub machine gun.

"Ah Gordon would you care to look at the chart" Dr. Kleiner offered him the clipboard he was holding as they approached.

"No Dr. Kleiner this is your show I'm just here to lend a hand with anything you need" Gordon walked over to a circle on the map.

"That's Black Mesa North Gordon, our counterparts in theoretical physics study" Dr. Kleiner walked towards the map.

"Biggest group of slackers I've ever seen, spend more time playing around with their personal projects than what the federal grants paid for" Magnusson chimed in.

"Eccentric yes but Geniuses none the less, Now Gordon Magnusson wants you to leave immediately but we have a special celebration planned tonight" Dr. Kleiner tapped some code onto a computer.

"Enough of this senseless babble get to work" Magnusson dismissed them with a wave of his hand.

"Agreed the Freeman must assist in our search for the truth" the Uriah the Vortiguant walked in between them.

"Just tell me what to do" Gordon replied happy to be working in a lab again.

They struggled with pinning down the exact coordinates of the Borealis. It was somewhere near the west coast of Antarctica. The Black Mesa North scientists said if they could see the transmission they might be able to locate the position via their new algorithms.

After hours of work they were going in circles the transmission must have been played back several hundred times. But as the sun dipped in the sky more lights brightened the hanger as it was obvious a party was gearing up .

Gordon had long discarded his lab coat and had been talking to the other resistance members. He saw Alyx once or twice during the day ,but all she did was smile and wave, then continued about her tasks.

"Now about that beer I owed ya"

Gordon turned to see Barney holding two bottles of beer. "Absolutely lets drink" he followed Barney to a table and sat down.

Barney popped the tops and handed one to Gordon "To good beer". They clacked their bottles together and took a swig.

"Good beer Barney good beer" Gordon examined the bottle.

"Hey now were even you hear?" Barney chuckled and took another drink. "Man I miss pounding the brews just bullshitting like this man"

"Yeah well we're here now…enjoy it Barney" Gordon looked over his shoulder to watch some people hanging a large party decorations.

"Man you remember Black Mesa the things we did there" Barney took a long swig.

Gordon shook his head "I try not too"

"No not the test chamber and Xen, I mean the simple days racing through the vents to Kleiner's room, spending half of our paycheck in the club as soon as we got it".

"That was good times, but that was a long time ago" Gordon looked at his beer,_ half gone_

"Yeah it was, and look at you, you lucky son of a bitch haven't aged a bit" Barney threw his hands up.

"That wasn't my decision, sometimes I feel forty" Gordon stared down at the table.

"I shouldn't have made it out of there Gordon, I mean I should have died there…in Xen, something happened I cant explain and most would think I'm crazy"

frown lines creased Barney's face and Gordon realized how much Barney had aged, Black Mesa had changed him. "We all are crazy Barney, there's no way you couldn't be after that hell"

"Yeah well…hey Gordon heads up" Barney pointed behind him.

Gordon turned to see Alyx making her way towards them, she had exchanged her ragged leather jacket and Black Mesa hoodie for a clean white tank top. "Hey guys what's up"

"Me and Gordon catching up a bit" Barney placed his second empty bottle of beer on the table.

Alyx sat down next to Gordon "Well the party should start anytime soon, Dr. Kleiner is supposed to be making a speech"

"He better hurry up before I'm too sloshed too remember it" Barney was opening up his third beer.

With darkness finally settling on the hanger the lights were at full blast and a spotlight focused on Dr. Kleiner standing on a chair. "Attention everyone the battle for White Forest has been won" the hanger erupted in cheers and shouts. Dr. Kleiner raised his hands "But the war for humanity has not yet been won, I must again remind everyone the suppression field is down and we must all do our part"

"Oh this again" Alyx rolled her eyes

"So please take in consideration", "Oh shut it Kleiner!" Magnusson walked into the light, "Dare I say it tonight is a celebration so get on with it!". Kleiner threw his hands down "Oh fine…let the party commence".

Cheers echoed and high tempo music played over the intercom.

"Hey Gordon theirs something you should see" Alyx stood up

"Yeah go Gordon I'm gonna get hammered and go try to find a pretty girl and _do my part_ ha ha ha" Barney stood up and walked away

Gordon stood up "what is it?"

"Follow me" Alyx starting walking away.

**First Half Life Story, I have played the games for years. Sorry for the slow beginning. **

**Read And Review!**


End file.
